Freeze Fracture Electron Microscopy of Dilute Lamellar and Anomalous Isotropic ( L 3 ) Phases

We show images of dilute lamellar (La) and anomalous isotropic (L3) phases obtained by freeze fracture electron microscopy. The images of the La phase show stacks of bilayers. In some parts, undulations of the bilayers may be seen. The images from the L3 phase show an apparently bicontinuous network of two aqueous subvolumes separated by a random bilayer network. Saddle point structures with a mean curvature close to zero and a negative Gaussian curvature are observed. The bilayers are separated by several hundred angstroms, and the repeat distances seen on the images agree with those measured previously by SANS. Furthermore, the transition from La to LB through the intermediate state of passage formation seems to be captured.